pair thought that either this arrangement or a state league consisting of all or mostly teams in Tennessee would be the best fit for a Nashville club. With teams from several states eagerly seeking to join the proposed Central League, representatives met to organize in Evansville on January 20, 1897. While the exact league lineup was not finalized at the meeting, it was resolved that the circuit was to consist of six teams who would pay a $500 deposit to guarantee they would play the entire season, and player salaries were capped at $900 per team. Officials met again on February 7 in Evansville to solidify the league's membership, and franchises were granted to clubs in Cairo, Illinois; Evansville, Terre Haute, and Washington, Indiana; Paducah, Kentucky; and Nashville. Nashville's team has come to be known as the Centennials. Though there are no contemporary references to this moniker, local newspapers commonly called the team the "Centennial lads" and the "Centennial City lads." The name was in reference to the celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of the Tennessee's admission to the union in 1796. The centerpiece of which was the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition held in Centennial Park from May 1 to October 30, 1897. Spring training By February 10, Billy Work, who was to manage the Nashville club, had already begun acquiring players. Two pitchers signed to start the season had previous major league experience. Charlie Petty, a Nashville native, played for the Cincinnati Red Stockings (1889), New York Giants (1893), Washington Senators (1894), and Cleveland Spiders (1894). Theodore Conover had also pitched one game for the 1889 Red Stockings. Two other players would have been familiar faces to Nashville baseball fans at the time: shortstop Patrick Lynch of the Nashville Seraphs and outfielder George Cleve also of the Seraphs and the 1894 Tigers. Manager Work originally planned to have his players report to Nashville around March 27 so as to have plenty of time to prepare for the April 28 season opener. He had players signed but, unfortunately, nowhere to practice. Athletic Park, where the team was to play, was located in a low-lying area in close proximity to the Cumberland River and prone to regular flooding in the spring. Heavy March rains left the ballpark flooded and unable to accommodate any baseball activities. Having to push back their report date, Work wrote to his players asking them to